Rail anchor



June 13, 1950 J. A. HYLE ETAL 2,511,062

RAIL ANCHOR Filed Sept. 25, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORJ BflF/zom Q7272 4' 1 el Patented June 13, 1950 GFFICE RAIL ANCHOR Jacob Alvin Hyle, Detroit, Mich., and Robert Andrew Thomann, Clayton, Mo.

Application September 25, 1945, Serial No. 618,516

This invention relates to rail anchors and is an improvement over the anchor embodied in our copending application, Ser. No. 483,800 filed April 20, 1943 for rail anchors, which application has become abandoned.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved rail anchor that can be constructed from bar metal.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved anchor which is so constructed that it will provide an increased bearing surface against the cross tie.

A further object of this invention is to provide an anchor of this type wherein the jaws and the body of the anchor are held out of engagement with the tie plate.

A further object of this invention is to provide an anchor of this type which can be used on either side of the track railswhich when in applied position will provide a more eflicient anchor so that a smaller number of these anchors may be used per rail length.

To the foregoing objects and others which may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention, as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a detail side elevation of a rail anchor constructed according to an embodiment of this invention mounted on a rail which is shown in section.

Figure 2 is a top plan of the anchor.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the anchor.

Figure 4 is a sectional view, taken on the line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the anchor is formed.

Figure 6 is a detail side elevation of the blank from which the anchor is formed.

Figure 7 is a detail end elevation of the blank showing in dotted lines the manner in which the flanges or wings are bent downwardly to form the anchor bodies.

Referring to the drawings the numeral I 0 designates generally a rail of conventional construction which is provided with a pair of oppositely extending base flanges H and i2. The rail [0 is seated on a tie plate I3, which engages on the upper side of a cross tie l4.

A rail anchor, generally designated as I5, is

1 Claim. (Cl. 238-327) clamped on the flanges l2 and I3 at one side. of the cross tie I4. The anchor i5 comprises an elongated bar It which is formed with a reduced thickness central portion ll formed by cutting out a portion from the upper side of the bar thereby forming a resilient intermediate portion 18.

The bar [6 has an upwardly extending jaw 19 which is engageable with the outer edge of the base flange i2 and the opposite end of the bar i6 is formed with a substantially C-shaped jaw .20 en gageable over the base flange l i. The inner side of the jaw 2|] is bevelled, as indicated at 2i, so as to provide for the firm engagement of a substantial portion of the jaw 26 with the upper surface of the inclined flange l i. The bar it has extending downwardly therefrom a pair of laterally offset anchoring bodies or plates 22 and 23. The inner surfaces 24 and 25 of the anchoring members or plates 22 and 23 are formed as a section of a parabola and the upper horizontal edges 26 and 21 of the anchoring members 22 and 23 extend laterally from the opposite sides of the bar [6 and provide a means for holding the bar Hi from contact with the adjacent edge or end of the tie late I 3, as shown more clearly in Figure 3.

The anchoring members 22 and 23, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, are formed with cutouts 28 and 29 adjacent the reduced thickness portion l8 of the bars l6 so that the resilient intermediate portion l8 may flex independent of the anchoring members 22 and 23. The C-shaped jaw 20 is formed with a groove 30 in its outer side thereby forming a pair of parallel ribs or reinforcing members 3| and 32 on the opposite sides of the jaw at the outer edge portion thereof.

In practice the groove 30 extends downwardly and then through the lower side of the bar [6, as this groove is formed initially in the rolling of the bar from which the anchor is formed.

Referring now to Figures 5, 6 and 7, there is disclosed a method by which the anchor hereinbefore described is formed. An elongated bar 33 is formed with laterally extending tapered flanges 34 and 35 which extend from the lengthwise edges thereof and the lower side of the bar 33 is formed with a V-shaped channel 36.

The bar 33 and the flanges 34 and 35 are heated to the desired degree and the bar is then passed through a die which removes the flanged portions 31 and 38 leaving an extending bar portion 39. The extended bar portion 39 is subsequently bent upwardly into C-shape so as to form a jaw 20. The opposite ends of the flanges 34 and 35 are then cut off as indicated at 40 and 4| leaving a relatively short extension 42 which is bent upwardly in the manner shown in Figure 1 to form a jaw I9. The flanges 34 and 35 are then cut out as indicated at 43, and 44, on opposite lengthwise edges of the bar 33 so as to form the cutouts 28 and 29 and then the upper side of the bar 33 is out out along the dotted line 45, so as to form the reduced thickness resilient intermediate portion [8.

The remaining portions of the flanges 34 and 35 are then bent downwardly in the form as shown in dotted lines in Figure '7 so as to form the depending anchoring members 22 and 23.

In applying the anchor the jaw I9 is initially disposed beneath the flanges l l and I2, with the C-shaped jaw 20 loosely engaging the flange H. The jaw 20 is then struck with a hammer or other tool until the jaw 19 snaps upwardly into clamping engagement with the outer edge of the base flange l2. The clamp is disposed on either rail. of a pair and by providing the pair of anchoring members 22 and 23 the anchor may be used on either right 01- left hand rail or on. either side of either rail so that it will not be necessary to provide two sets of anchors for a rail.

The anchoring member 22,. as shown in Figure 3, is adapted to substantially abut against the adjacent side of the tie I4 and in this position the bar l6 spaced from the adjacent edge or side of the tie plate l3 so that the latter cannot contact with the anchor. As the tie plate l3 does not contact any portion of the anchor, the anchoring members 22 and 23 will gradually wear against the adjacent side of the tie 14 depending on which anchoring member is confronting the tie as the cars pass over the rails and. produce a wave motion in the rails.

It is well known that when the rail anchor engages against the tie plate both the tie plate and the tie will shift in the roadbed requiring replacement of the tie to its. original position. which also includesretamping' and forming or the roadbed.

We claim:

A rail anchor comprising an elongated bar having an elongated cutout between the ends thereof extending downwardly from the upper side thereof forming a reduced thickness intermediate portion having a degree of resiliency greater than the outer portions of said bar, a C-shaped clamping jaw extending upwardly from one end of said bar, a second jaw at the opposite end of said bar, and a pair of laterally ofiset plates extending from the lower side of said bar, each of said plates having an elongated cutout extending downwardly from said bar and disposed directly beneath the reduced portion of said bar, said latter named cutouts forming reduced intermediate portions in the plates having a substantial degree of resiliency whereby said plates may flex with said bar during the mounting of the anchor On a rail.

JACOB ALVIN HYLE. ROBERT ANDREW THOMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,700,775 Samson Feb. 5, 1929 1,728,188 Natale Sept. 17, 1929 2,161,484 Preston June 6, 1939 2,244,755 Warr June 10, 1941 2,268,327 Thomann Dec. 30, 1941 2,322,742 Gailor June 22, 1943 2,373,923 Thomann et a1 Apr. 17, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 178,151 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1935 437,689 Great Britain Nov. 4, 1935 

